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This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

 

It’s personal.

Perhaps we have been encouraged in life at times, “Don’t take it so personally.”  Usually this is after someone makes a negative comment about some aspect of your appearance or behavior.  Their statement can be general, but has direct link to you…but you aren’t supposed to take it personally.  Which is hard to do.

It can be hard to take Easter personally.

After all, maybe a few days past, the reality of Easter has faded and you may already be forgetting what you did or what you had for lunch or who was even at your house.  Maybe you are back into the routine of a fairly normal week after a busy Holy Week and preparation leading up to Easter.  And so the impact of Easter is waning…a bit.

Easter is easy to see as an “event” on the calendar, a day off of work, or opportunity to get together with family and friends.  We enjoy the break, treasure the memories and yet are often “glad Easter is done.”

But like a comment that someone makes and you take it personally is hard to get out of your mind, in a positive and more impactful way, take Easter personally.

It’s not a corporate or church event, it is an even that Jesus meant precisely for you to take personally, very personally.

My daughter texted me yesterday morning and asked, “Have you ever heard the theory of how Mary at the tomb mentions Jesus as the gardener as he came back and is making peace with the world again like kind of referencing the garden of Eden?”  To which I responded, “No” and she responded that someone at a bible study this week had brought it up and said, “I do think it is interesting what Jesus was doing while he was just meandering around his tomb…lol.”

I love that she asked and it made me think.  Was Jesus just meandering around the garden restoring the creation of the garden to wholeness?  I have never heard that nor have I seen biblical teaching for this. (Yes, when he returns a second time he speaks of a new heaven and new earth, but not at his resurrection.)

What I did respond was this, “I haven’t thought of Jesus meandering in the garden, but intentionally appearing there for Mary, just like he appeared to the disciples suddenly in the locked room that night.”

There was a time for a group appearance.  The Apostle Paul mentions 500 at once, but in the garden of his grave he had one purpose, to make it personal for Mary.  Jesus wanted MARY to know he was alive.  He wanted his resurrection to impact HER.

The same is true for you.  The events of Holy Week Jesus certainly did for the world, but most importantly he did for YOU.  Jesus suffered and died for YOU.  Jesus rose again for YOU!

The impact isn’t to be just one day out of the year, but every day of the year.  Every day, Jesus wants you to know he loves you and lives for you!

 

Apply: How can you keep the impact and importance of Easter in front of you every day?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for coming to live and die and rise again…for ME! AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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John 20:11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 

Why are you crying?

If you have lost a loved one or close friend, tears come easily at the funeral and if you visit the grave.  Memories of times together give way to tears because no new memories will be made.  Conversations have come to an end.  Being in the same room together will not happen on this earth again.  All these realities bring tears.  It’s sad when we lose someone close to us.

So we can’t be too hard on Mary Magdalene for shedding tears outside of Jesus tomb.  So why was she crying?

Sometimes a question like this covers a two-fold purpose.  One, it informs the person asking with information they can then respond to or act on and two, it gives the person asked an opportunity for some self-reflection as to what is causing the emotion that is being exhibited.  What is a bit ironic about Mary’s answer is that she is not crying because Jesus died on the cross in a horrific way.  But rather she assumed when she saw the open grave that Jesus was still dead AND someone had stolen the body.  She couldn’t even finish paying her final respects to the man that changed her life and the one she had been following and supporting.  Before the angels could respond, this happened:

14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

The “gardner” repeats the question and adds a second one, “Who is it you are looking for?”
Mary answers the first and ignores the second.  She wasn’t looking for a person, she was looking for a body.  The “gardner” should know.

The irony is is the “Gardner” wasn’t looking for a body, but he was looking for a person.  He came for the very purpose to let Mary know he was alive.

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

Suddenly the question didn’t matter anymore because the question was answered.  There was no body…just a living Jesus!

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Mary found the answer to her questions and the solution for her tears…Jesus.  Or should I say, Jesus found Mary and gave her the answer to her question and the solution for her tears.

Will he not do the same for us?

Sometimes we look in the wrong places and carry the wrong perceptions which can create worry, stress, heartache and sadness.  We try to answer life’s questions on our own, solve life’s problems in our own way, and try to find Jesus in places he never promised to be.

And Jesus shows up and says our name.

And the questions get answered and the tears dry up and the heart becomes filled with peace.

Because when Jesus is with us nothing else matters.

And he is…just like he was for Mary.

 

Apply: What is causing sadness and tears in your heart and life?  Visualize Jesus coming to you and asking, “Why are you crying?  Who are you looking for?”  After you answer, he says your name.  Does the sadness go away?  Does peace return?

Prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for loving us personally.  It changes everything and brings peace.  AMEN.  

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

Have you ever looked in the wrong place for the right thing?

The ladies who came to Jesus’ tomb early that Sunday morning were looking in the right place to find a dead body.  However, they were looking in the wrong place to find a living body.

To be honest, with the emotion and trauma of that first Easter weekend, who can blame the ladies for coming to the tomb wanting to finish the job of preparing Jesus’ body for burial.  The last they saw Jesus was put in the tomb by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.  WIth the Sabbath looming, there just wasn’t time to finish on Friday evening…so early Sunday morning was the next opportunity.

However, the living body wasn’t in the tomb.

Which was confusing.  Because every other dead body would have been in the tomb after three days.  It’s just what dead bodies do…they stay dead.

Except this one.  The confusion of an empty tomb was clarified by a divine messenger who reminded the ladies what Jesus had said.

If only they had remembered…they wouldn’t have had to get up so early and just wait for Jesus to show himself alive.

But we can’t be too hard on them.  We too forget what Jesus says and carry out aspects of life with our best knowledge and reason and perceptions, but are wrong.  Sometimes it’s sinful…sometimes it’s not.

Maybe we spend time worrying and forget Jesus said to let him know about it and do not worry.

Maybe we carry financial stress and forget that God says to put him first in our management of our wealth.

Maybe we figure we can do Christianity on our own and forget God encourages us to be in community with other believers and established his Church for that purpose.

When the ladies remembered what Jesus said, their hearts were settled and their minds clear as to what happened. Their questions were answered and their fears dispelled.

All because they were reminded of what Jesus said…and that when Jesus says something he will follow through!

We can do the same!

 

Apply: What is going on in your life that perhaps you are forgetting a promise that Jesus has made to you?  What changes when you remember Jesus’ words?

Prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for your words.  Forgive me when I forget and lead me to remember all you said and to trust it.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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“Hey Peter and John.  We just were at the tomb and Jesus isn’t there.”
“What?  You have to be joking?”

Off they ran to see if the report was true.  Sure, enough the tomb was empty.  Where did he go?

Mary went back shortly after and saw someone near the tomb.  She thought it was the gardener.  “Where did you put him?” she asked?

What if the “gardener” would have replied, “April Fools!”  And directed Mary to the body of Jesus?

At first, Easter morning and perhaps other elements of Holy Week seem like a practical joke. 

You would think things that happened would be stopped with a simple, “Ha! April Fool’s Day!”

Things like…

“We know Jesus is innocent, but we’re going to crucify him anyway.” (Ha, April Fool’s Day!)

“Hey, go to the temple, the big curtain just tore in two.” (Ha, April Fool’s Day!)

“Today you will be with me in paradise!” (Jesus to the thief on the cross) (Ha, April Fool’s Day!)

Each one of these phrases in the moment are believable…but seem so far out that one might have a tinge of doubt…is all of this a big joke?

Today is April Fool’s Day.

Did you know there is a potential connection between Easter and April Fool’s Day?  No foolin’! A post on Britannica.com states:

Some have proposed that the modern custom originated in France, officially with the Edict of Roussillon (promulgated in August 1564), in which Charles IX decreed that the new year would no longer begin on Easter, as had been common throughout Christendom, but rather on January 1. Because Easter was a lunar and therefore moveable date, those who clung to the old ways were the “April Fools.” Others have suggested that the timing of the day may be related to the vernal equinox (March 21), a time when people are fooled by sudden changes in the weather. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/April-Fools-Day)

Whatever the origin of April Fools Day, there is no joke about the message of the cross and the empty tomb.  The Gospels were not fiction, but fact.  What happened wasn’t just a cruel joke on Jesus and/or his followers, but it was the power of God at work to assure us that our relationship with God is restored.

However, we must admit.  Sometimes this whole thing might sound like foolishness.  God coming to this earth to die on a Roman cross and then rising again giving us access to God and the promise of eternal life?  Are you joking?  Nope.  Not at all.

Ironically, since the event happened people have found it foolish and questioned how anyone in their right mind could believe and follow Jesus.  The Apostle Paul wrote, 

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. … 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. … 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 

So, I guess if we are to be found a fool by the world around us the day after Easter for believing the truth about Easter…I guess that’s good.  A blessed Easter to you…and with the meaning of 1 Corinthians 1, Happy April Fool’s Day!

 

Apply: What part of the Easter story seems hard to believe?  What impact does the entire truth and reality of Easter have on you?

Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for doing all you did for us and proving it complete by your resurrection from the dead.  To many, your work seems foolish.  To me it’s the greatest gift one could ever receive.  Thank you!  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of a Savior!  (WATCH HERE)

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1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 

There is a phrase in these verses which I have probably said hundreds of times but never really paused long enough to reflect on it.  It’s a phrase that indicates the timing of the Lord’s Supper with an even that completely contrasts yet at the same time richly highlights the gift that Jesus gave.

“…on the night he was betrayed…”

Paul in instructing the Corinthians of the Lord’s Supper could have said, “the night before Jesus died,” or “the evening of the Passover celebration” but instead chose to mark the evening Jesus gave the gift of the Lord’s Supper by the event of Judas’ betrayal.

What would you do on a night you were betrayed?  How would the phrase end for you?

“On the night I was betrayed…I plotted revenge for the one that betrayed me.”

“On the night I was betrayed…I fumed at the gall of a friend to treat me that way.”

“On the night I was betrayed…I was ready to write off all of my friends.”

Yet Jesus didn’t do that on the night he was betrayed.

He took bread and gave it to the disciples with the promise, “This is my body.”

He took wine and gave it to the disciples with the promise, “This is my blood.”

Did Judas receive this?  We don’t know for sure, yet Jesus knew Peter would deny knowing him and the rest of the disciples would desert him.

Yet Jesus didn’t withhold himself from them, but rather gave himself for them.

What makes this phrase profound is on an evening when even his closest followers would abandon him, Jesus was giving himself for them.

Before the action even was committed, Jesus was assuring them of his love and grace.  His body and blood was for their forgiveness.  The impact of the Supper was felt perhaps more after a betrayal, a denial, and desertion…Jesus was giving himself for those that would sin against him.

The same is true for you.  Perhaps we change the phrase from “on the night he was betrayed” to things like the following:

“On the day after acting unloving toward my spouse…Jesus gave his body and blood for me.”

“On the night my heart was filled with greed…Jesus gave his body and blood for me.”

“On the week I was chasing my career and forgetting my Savior…Jesus gave his body and blood for me.”

How profound is this gift of the Lord’s Supper that it is given to us EVEN WHEN we sin against the one who gave it.  How amazing is the Lord’s Supper that it FORGIVES US even when we don’t deserve it.  How loving is the Lord’s Supper to assure us that ALL has been done to secure our relationship with God when our sin is certainly enough to separate us from him.

Tonight is the night we remember that “on the night he was betrayed…Jesus gave himself for you and me.”

Apply: How would you react if someone betrayed you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for giving your self for us even when we sin against you. AMEN.